Evening and Morning
by ladyphlogiston
Summary: LBDverse. My take on what happened after Lizzie and Darcy got together. Dancing and snuggling, and her mother's reaction in the morning. Hilarity ensues.
1. Chapter 1

This is my very first fic, so we'll see how it goes. Shouldn't be too bad :)

I wasn't going to explain what oxytocin is, but then I remembered a conversation in college and realized not everyone grows up with physicians in the family. Darcy's statement is accurate if incomplete - it's a hormone that triggers positive emotions like love and trust, and it's stimulated by any touch (hugging, shaking hands, etc) but especially by orgasm, childbirth, and breastfeeding. It's responsible for mother-baby bonding, among other things.

Several bits of this are based on my own marriage - my husband shifts his arm when I put my head on his shoulder, I love being "claimed" for dance (we took a class together and the teacher kept reminding us to let our husbands come to us and let them lead. Pretty sure I was the only one who listened though), and the movie they watch is _Music and Lyrics_, which we watched on our wedding night because we were too tired to think.

I've never even heard of honey walnut shrimp. Of course, I keep kosher and I'm allergic to walnuts, so that may be my fault.

(There's likely to be a couple more chapters; beyond that we'll see.)

xXx

She kissed him and kissed him, and he kissed her, and all was right with the world. His arms were around her and she was running her fingers through the crisp hair at the nape of his neck and their knees were tangled up awkwardly but it didn't matter. She gasped and arched her back as his lips made their way to her throat and his hand came around to cup her breast and...he stopped.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, gasping. He looked worried and uncomfortable again. What had happened? Had he remembered some other problem?

"Do you...actually want to have sex?" he asked. "Because if you don't we should take a break."

"I..." Lizzie wasn't at all sure how to respond. She did want him, badly, but she was also dimply aware that she was mentally and emotionally exhausted, and possibly not thinking very clearly. "Do you want it?" she asked.

"I do want you, of course I do," he answered, reaching out to stroke her cheek with his thumb, "but I don't want to do anything either of us regrets. And my father always told me that oxytocin only makes emotions harder to process."

"Oxytocin?"

"It's a hormone that bonds people, especially during sex. Actually I think it might get stimulated by any touch, but...I don't remember the details. But that's why people fall in love with people they have sex with."

"Oh. I don't think I'd regret it exactly, but it's true that I'm pretty tired." She sat back, suddenly feeling cold. She wrapped her arms around herself.

Darcy scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry. Is there something else you want to do?"

Lizzie leaned her head against his shoulder. He shifted his arm slightly, so that she was pillowed on his muscle instead of the hard bone. She sat contentedly for a moment, letting her mind wander, and then something occurred to her.

She picked her head up. "There is, actually. I want proof of something."

He looked nervous. "What do you want proof of?"

"Fitz and Gigi and Bing have all mentioned what an excellent dancer you are, but I can't say I've seen any evidence of it."

He laughed. "You have no idea how nervous I was that day. You were so pretty, and you looked so annoyed, and I didn't know the song..." he trailed off, shaking his head.

"I was annoyed because of my mother's scheming. I...guess she was right, though. How freaky is that?" She looked so taken aback by this realization that he leaned forward and kissed her.

He stopped, and she smiled, and he kissed her some more.

"Okay," he gasped a few minutes later, sitting back. "Dancing. Why don't you move the bench while I find some music." He stood up and pushed the couch towards the wall, then walked over to her laptop.

"Is there enough room here?" Lizzie asked. The den wasn't large.

"I think so," he replied absently, scrolling through YouTube videos. He noticed that she was standing next to him. "No, go sit down on the couch. The lady has to wait for the gentleman to come to her."

"Since when?" Lizzie replied indignantly.

"Come on, Lizzie, it's part of the game. I know it seems condescending..."

Lizzie snorted.

"...and at one time it was, of course, but for you and me, it's part of the game. And it's a part I happen to like."

Lizzie eyed him suspiciously, but she took a few steps back and stood by the couch.

Darcy smiled at her and started the song he'd selected. The opening bars of "Fly Me To The Moon" started to play. He straightened and walked towards her, smiling into her eyes, and then took her hands and pulled her into his arms.

It was odd to wait and let him claim her, but she had to admit - it was actually pretty sexy.

He moved them into a waltz, turning slowly in the small space. Lizzy focused on her footwork at first, but then found it was easier to dance if she just relaxed and followed his lead. He smiled down at her and pulled her close. As she got better at moving with him, he gradually lengthened his steps, and by the end of the song they were twirling around and around. Lizzie laughed with delight at the wonderful flying sensation.

The song ended, and he pulled her close and kissed her again. "Am I vindicated?" he asked.

Lizzie grinned. "Completely, sir. That was fun!"

"I'm glad."

There was a knock at the door.

They paused, and realized that the house was completely silent.

Darcy smiled. "I believe that is your Chinese."

Lizzie gasped, "Charlotte! I completely forgot..."

"I'm pretty sure she and Lydia left a while ago. I heard the door close. Shall I get the food?"

"Sure. Thanks. I hope you like honey walnut shrimp." Lizzie felt vaguely disoriented. It didn't seem possible that she was still in the real world with normal people.

"I don't think I've had it before. Sounds delicious," he replied as he went to the door.

Lizzie moved over to the couch while Darcy paid for the food, adding a generous tip. He brought the bag back in and started unpacking it.

"Where can I find plates?" he asked.

"Plates?"

"Yes, for serving the food."

"Oh, so the bourgeoisie don't eat it out of the carton like us peasants. Fancy that."

"Oh." He looked uncertain again, then shrugged. "I suppose that creates a rather picnic-like atmosphere."

Lizzie grinned. "Sure it does. Come and eat."

They sat down and sorted out containers and chopsticks.

"Do you want to watch a movie or something?" Lizzie offered.

"That sounds nice. Did you have anything in mind?" Darcy disentangled himself to pull the bench over and set the laptop on it.

"Not really. There's a bunch of DVDs in the hall closet if you want to go look."

"That means being away from you. I'll find something on Netflix." Darcy logged in and started paging through the suggestions.

They settled on a silly chick flick and curled up on the couch together.

Once she finished her food, Lizzie closed her eyes and leaned against Darcy, and suddenly felt enormously tired.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm just tired. I've been on edge for so long, first with Lydia's problem and then wondering if I'd ever see you again, and now you're here and I can finally relax and it's all catching up with me. I haven't been sleeping well, either. I've just been too wired."

"I haven't been sleeping well either. I expect I shall, tonight. Do you want me to leave so you can go to bed?"

"No, stay," she responded, wrapping her free arm around his stomach. "I just want you here."

He pulled her closer, his face softened as he looked down at her gleaming hair against his chest. "I'll stay as long as you want me."

Lizzie sighed happily.

A few minutes later, Darcy realized that Lizzie had fallen asleep on him. He pulled the blanket down from the back of the couch and arranged it over her, then settled her comfortably in his arms. The movie was pleasant enough, but soon he also fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

I have followers! Yay! I'm so flattered and glad that you liked the first part. This is the second, and we'll get Mrs. Bennet's reaction in the next chapter. There may or may not be anything after that.

Mrs. Bennet's first name isn't given in P&P, but in the movie Mr. Gardiner addresses her as "Beatrice," so Trixie seems right. And I doubt that Mr. Bennet would have recognized Darcy - they only ever met at the Gibson wedding and the party at Netherfield, and Mr. Bennet doesn't seem like someone who tries to remember people. He was in Lizzie's videos, but a) Mr. Bennet was more worried about Lydia, and b) there's like six hours of video to watch.

And I think one or two of my followers may be hoping for smut, so let me make it clear that this is not heading in that direction.

**xXx**

"That was fun. Thanks for coming out with me," said Charlotte as the car pulled up to the silent house.

"No problem. It was good to get out. And I couldn't let you be alone on your birthday," replied Lydia.

"Yeah. I guess if I'm in Hunsford most of the time, I'll have to get used to celebrating without Lizzie anyway."

"You never know, she could always steal her guy's credit card and whisk you both off to Fiji," Lydia suggested with a wicked grin.

Charlotte sighed. It was good to see Lydia looking more like herself, but life was changing fast, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"So you're coming in to grill Lizzie with me, right?" asked Lydia.

Charlotte laughed. "Every gory detail!" she replied.

The two girls got out of the car and approached the house. They could see that the light in the den was still on, but the shades were drawn and they could not see inside.

The entryway was dark and smelled of Chinese food.

"Did they eat my honey walnut shrimp?" Charlotte asked indignantly.

"Well, they had to eat something," Lydia answered. "Well, besides each other!" she added.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and knocked on the door to the den. There was no reply, but she heard soft music coming through the door.

"Sounds like they're getting it on," Lydia said gleefully. "Should we yell and startle them?"

"No, that would be...hang on." Charlotte listened hard. The music had stopped, to be replaced by voices talking. "I think it's just a movie. Is that Hugh Grant talking?"

Lydia nodded. "They're sitting in there, watching a movie. My sister can be so lame sometimes."

Charlotte slowly opened the door and peered in. Darcy and Lizzie were sound asleep on the couch, wrapped around each other. A blanket was loosely draped over Lizzie's midsection.

"Well, at least it went well," said Charlotte.

"Well enough. But their clothes are still on," said Lydia.

"Oh, come on, they're allowed to take it slow. Anyway, Lizzie's been exhausted for weeks."

"Yeah." Lydia sounded sad. She still felt guilty for how she had disarranged her sisters' lives.

Charlotte walked to the couch and rearranged the blanket to cover them both properly. Darcy's head was at an awkward angle against the arm of the couch, so she grabbed a pillow and eased it under him. She turned to stop the movie playing on the laptop.

"I think we'd better let them sleep," she said, surveying her work. "Time enough for grilling tomorrow."

"Do you think there's anything on the camera?" Lydia asked. "I mean, she'd send that to you anyway."

"We can check," Charlotte replied. She got the camera off the tripod and handed it to Lydia, then picked up the laptop and found the connection cable on a side table. "Come on, let's go up to your room."

There was footage. They both cheered when they saw Lizzie _finally _kiss Darcy, and Lydia whooped excitedly over the rest of the kissing. Charlotte was just glad that they'd gotten it sorted out, and that Lizzie had the sense to make her feelings clear. They groaned when Lizzie reached for the camera to turn it off.

"Well, that takes care of that," said Charlotte. It would be a real relief to have Lizzie happy and secure in herself again. "Thank goodness. I should go home."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow?" asked Lydia.

"You bet. If I miss your mom finding out, I want a play-by-play, okay?"

"You got it. Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks." Charlotte grinned tiredly, and left.

**xXx**

"My dear, what a lovely dinner that was. I saw simply everyone who was anyone at that restaurant! And Mrs. O'Hare from down the block saw your choice of wine and looked positively green with envy, I'm sure she did. Did you see her? She and her husband were sitting five tables down, in the booth. I couldn't quite make out what they were talking about, which is such a shame. I hear her husband..." Mrs. Bennet's voice trailed off as she mounted the stairs.

Mr. Bennet hung up her jacket, and then his own. He wanted his newspaper, and he was pretty sure he'd left it in the den. As he opened the door, the light from the entryway fell across someone sleeping on the couch.

As he got closer, Mr. Bennet realized that it wasn't just Lizzie. He knew that she sometimes crashed on the couch instead of heading upstairs to her bed. But this time she was tangled up with a young man. How very surprising.

Mr. Bennet peered at the young man. He didn't look familiar at all. Where had Lizzie found him? Perhaps he should have watched all of her videos when he found out about them, but there were so many of them and he's been so concerned about Lydia that he'd only watched a few of them. Her impersonations of his wife were quite hilarious, though.

His eye fell on a wallet on the side table, partially covered by a Panda Express receipt. At least the young man had paid for dinner. He flipped it open, looking for the driver's license.

Darcy, William F. A business card identified him as the CEO of Pemberley Digital.

How on earth had this happened? He remembered seeing Darcy a couple of times - his wife had contrived to force him and Lizzie to dance together at the Gibson wedding, and they'd met once or twice elsewhere - and he knew that Lizzie must have seen him frequently during her stay at Netherfield, but neither Darcy nor Lizzie had shown the slightest interest in the other. Perhaps they'd run across each other at Pemberley Digital, but...he shook his head in amazement. Young people these days.

A smile crossed his face as he envisioned his wife's reaction to the news that William Darcy, CEO, had spent the night on their couch. Dear Trixie would probably explode. Well, that would be a fine entertainment in the morning.

He picked up his newspaper and went to bed, softly shutting the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

I told a few people that this was going to be the last chapter, and then I realized that I was at 1,000 words and hadn't nearly finished yet, so I'm splitting it and there will be at least a little more. I do hope you enjoy it.

Someone pointed out that the movie uses Fanny as Mrs. Bennet's first name, which leaves the rather mysterious question of where Beatrice came from, but Trixie is still perfect so whatever. My brain can be a funny place sometimes.

My mother-in-law subscribes to a something-or-other that sends her four "inspirational" (meaning Christian) romance novels every month. She reads them all, and keeps them (the house is lined with them) in case she gets a sequel and wants to refer back. _Marriage of Inconvenience_ is a historical romance they sent her as a sample, in hopes that she will be interested in reading hundreds of historical romance paperbacks in addition to her current diet. She gave it to me because she knows I like Georgette Heyer. I haven't worked up the nerve to read it yet.

Someone (Maytag I think?) had an ad in a magazine years ago that read, "There's only one thing wrong with our dishwasher: it's still avocado." That seemed about right.

**xXx**

Mr. Bennet got up as soon as he was awakened by his wife singing in the shower. He normally closed his eyes and stubbornly slept for as long as possible, but today he didn't want to miss the fireworks.

As he shuffled groggily down the hall in his bathrobe, he noticed soft sounds coming through Lydia's door. Apparently she was also up uncharacteristically early.

The sun was streaming in through the kitchen windows, lighting the yellow walls and the ceramic rooster next to the sink. Their dishwasher was a hideous shade of avocado that clashed horribly with everything else; Trixie had been badgering him for years to let her buy a new one, but the old one still worked and they didn't have the money to spend on unnecessary appliances.

He pulled out the nicer coffee they kept for special occasions and began measuring it into the fancy coffee maker his brother had bought him for Christmas. They'd need at least two more cups than usual.

"I think Charlotte might be coming by for breakfast," Lydia said behind him.

"Doesn't want to miss the show, huh?" he chuckled, adding a little more coffee. "Can't blame her."

Lydia belted her bathrobe tighter around her and went to the sink to fill the pot with water. "Did you see them, then?"

"Yep. Ducked in when we got home, looking for my newspaper. Figured it'd be more fun to let your mother find out in the morning."

"You're insane, Dad," Lydia replied with a wan smile. "I'm just glad they finally got together. She's been moping for too long."

"I had wondered what was bothering her," he replied. He saw Lydia's expression and tilted her face so he could look her in the eyes. "None of this is your fault, Lyddie-love. No guilt."

She nodded and swallowed, then turned to open the cabinet to get a bowl for cereal.

"You're already up, dear! How lovely!" Mrs Bennet appeared in the doorway, wrapped in her white ruffled dressing gown. The lacy sleeves brushed the counter as she got mugs down for coffee. "And Lydia too! I'm so glad to see you up, darling, all that moping in your room was getting so very depressing. I was starting to worry that you'd never come out. You'd better go to the mall today and find a new outfit to cheer you up."

Lydia ignored her mother and poured milk over her cereal.

"I knocked on Lizzie's door as I came down, but she didn't answer," Mrs. Bennet continued. "I swear, that child has only gotten stranger in the last few months. You'd think she would have taken the chance in San Fransisco to look for a nice eligible young man to be with, or at least a few city friends who could invite her back from time to time, but as far as I can tell she barely left that company she was at. Honestly, with all her reading and writing and studying and things, I don't think she'll ever find a man."

Mr. Bennet solemnly agreed with his wife, a twinkle in his eye. Lydia jammed a spoonful of cereal into her mouth to disguise her smile; her poker face wasn't as good as her father's.

Mrs. Bennet shook her head despondently as she poured herself some coffee. She glanced up at the indicator on the front. "Mr. Bennet, you've made far too much coffee!"

"I know, dear, but it seemed like such a nice morning that I thought we might want some extra."

Mrs. Bennet seemed about to object, but there was a knock at the door.

"Who could be here at this hour?" she wondered aloud as she went to open it. "Why, Charlotte, what a lovely surprise! What brings you here?"

"I...was hoping to go to the mall with Lizzie. Is she up yet?"

"Well, no, she isn't, but come on in. There's even enough coffee. I'm sure Lizzie would be glad to go to the mall with you, whenever she does wake up. I don't suppose you've got a nice job for her at Collins and Collins? She's nearly finished with that thesis of hers and then maybe she'll be willing to take a job like a normal girl. Or I'm sure Lydia would love to move to Hunsford. I heard your sister interned with you and what Maria can do, Lydia can do."

"Business is going just fine, Mrs. Bennet," Charlotte replied. "Lizzie and Lydia are both welcome to apply for jobs if they want them." She poured herself a cup of coffee and took a sip. Mr. Bennet winked at her, and she grinned back.

"Now, where did I put my book? Have you seen it, dear? It's called _Marriage of Inconvenience_, and I haven't finished it yet."

Charlotte turned back to the coffee machine and filled two mugs with the last of the coffee. She put cream and sugar in one, hesitated over the other, and ended up pulling out a cafeteria tray that Lydia had pilfered from school years ago and putting both mugs and the cream and sugar on it.

"Why don't you look in the den, Mom?" asked Lydia.

"Do you think it might be there? I don't think I would have left it there, but I suppose it's always possible that I did. Or Lizzie might be reading it; I never did understand why she doesn't read the novels I get from that book club. They're all such nice, romantic stories." Mrs. Bennet drifted in the direction of the den.

Charlotte, Lydia, and Mr. Bennet held their breath as they heard Mrs. Bennet open the door. Lydia looked ready to burst out laughing.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee! " Mrs. Bennet's earsplitting scream filled the house.

Lydia knocked over her chair in her hurry to get to the den. Mr. Bennet rose and followed her nearly as quickly. Charlotte came calmly behind, carrying the tray with coffee.

Mrs. Bennet continued to let out little screamlets in between panting, hysterical breaths. She hadn't managed to say anything coherent.

When Lydia arrived, her mother was fanning herself and looked like she might be about to faint. Lizzie and Darcy had gotten upright, but Darcy was rubbing his stomach where Lizzie had elbowed him when she was startled awake.

"ELIZABETH BENNET!" gasped Mrs. Bennet. "What on earth...who...how...?"

Lizzie looked blearily around the room. Her mother was screaming and hyperventilating and struggling vaguely against Lydia's efforts to pull her into a chair. Her father stood in the doorway with his saturnine smile, clearly amused by his wife's reaction.

"Dar...William? William. Um. I'm sure you remember my mother," she managed.


	4. Chapter 4

This really is the last chapter. That's a sad, but I've really enjoyed writing it, and hopefully you've enjoyed reading it. I've got the first chapter of my next fic (a Holmes/Holmes crossover) up, so you can check that out if you are curious. I'm also doing some research/reading as preparation to writing a P&P set in the Roaring Twenties, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

And I suspect incorporating song lyrics like this is probably cheesy, but it's been stuck in my head (and Darcy would never choose it as dance music) so I'm doing it anyway. A little cheese is a good thing. If it bothers you, just pretend I stopped right before that bit :)

**xXx**

"Of course. A pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Bennet," Darcy replied suavely. His lips twitched as he watched that gasping lady.

"Pleasure...Mr...oh my heavens..." Mrs. Bennet attempted to respond.

Lizzie couldn't help squirming with embarrassment. She'd known her mother's reaction would be overwhelming, and had hoped to tell her privately, so Darcy wouldn't have to see the worst of it. She still couldn't tell whether her mother was pleased or horrified.

Lizzie tried to sit up and deal with it, but Darcy's arm snaked out and pulled her back against his side. Whatever her mother's reaction, they would deal with it together.

Charlotte pushed her way past Mr. Bennet and set the tray she carried on the bench in front of the couch. "I didn't know how you take your coffee, Darcy," she said softly, "so I just brought the cream and sugar."

"Oh thank you Charlotte." Lizzie lunged for her coffee and took a big sip. "Such a lifesaver."

"Thank you," said Darcy. He took a cautious sip, then added careful amounts of cream and sugar and drank deeply.

"Mom, everything is okay," Lizzie said calmly, hoping to get her mother a bit calmer. "Dar-William and I got to know each other while I was working at Pemberley Digital, and he came down for a visit for...my birthday. It was a surprise. I'm sorry we startled you."

Mrs. Darcy has settled into her chair and seemed to calm down a bit. "Oh, my dear Lizzie, it was just such a shock! Of course Mr. Darcy is welcome to come by any time he likes. Such a nice young man, too. You always did have excellent taste in friends. What was it you do again, dear?"

Darcy smiled slightly. "I'm the CEO of Pemberley Digital, Mrs. Bennet. We produce a variety of digital media, and we're coming out with an app soon."

Mrs. Bennet had shrieked again at "CEO," but she recovered quickly. "How wonderful, my dear boy. I knew my Lizzie's studies would be so good for her. The good Lord didn't make her so intelligent for nothing. I'm so glad all her research has finally paid off!"

Lizzie smiled at her sister's wink and her father's amused expression.

"You will be staying to dinner, of course," continued Mrs. Bennet, "and I'm sure you're staying for a few days, so we'll have to have a little party to welcome you to the family! I'm sure the Philipses would be happy to come over, and of course Charlotte's family practically is family as well, so they'll have to come, and I'm sure Mr. Bennet would be happy to pull out the grill! Do you grill at all, Mr. Darcy? The two of you will have to go get meat for burgers, and hot dogs of course, or perhaps some nice steak for sandwiches...I have to call Mrs. Long and tell her, and then I'll..."

"My dear Trixie, I feel sure Lizzie and her young man would like some breakfast," interrupted Mr. Bennet. He shepherded her back into the kitchen.

Lizzie and Darcy looked at each other.

"I am so, so sorry about my mother," Lizzie said, shaking her head. "Can I run away and hide now?"

Darcy pulled her back into his arms. "It's fine, Lizzie. We all have our crazy people. I'm not going anywhere."

She relaxed against him. "Thanks. And I'm sorry in advance about my mother's plans."

"I think we've got your dad on our side, so I expect we'll manage. Your mother's plans will be a small price to pay for spending more time with you." He lifted her face and kissed her.

She melted into his kiss, but a minute later pulled away again. "Lydia will come looking for us if we don't get in there soon."

He smiled, but got to his feet and pulled her arm through his. "Then let's go have breakfast."

**xXx**

Darcy had come straight to the Bennets' house from the airport, so after breakfast he got his bag from his car and went upstairs to shower.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Bennet gave Lizzie a pointed look. When Lizzie ignored it, she said, "Well, Lizzie?"

"What?"

"Well, get up there!"

"Get up where?"

"Go give him a hand in the shower! You want him to stay around, don't you?"

Lizzie stared at her mother in horror. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Lydia and Charlotte echoed her expression. Her father just looked amused.

"Give him - mother, are you insane!?" Lizzie heard her father put down his paper, ready to be entertained. "I'm not getting in the shower with him!"

"I do not like your manners, young lady. Whyever not? I'm sure he'd be delighted." Mrs. Bennet leaned forward and winked at her daughter.

"Because...because..." Lizzie sputtered, "because that would be rude, and awkward, and...and anyway that shower is far too small!"

"It's not_ that_ small, Lizzie," replied her mother with such a knowing tone that Lizzie, Lydia, and Charlotte all looked taken aback.

"Ewww! Mom - no! I'm not getting in the shower with him with you sitting down her thinking about it!"

Mrs. Bennet shook her head despairingly. "I don't know what is wrong with you, Lizzie, I really don't. You have a handsome, rich, pleasant young man like that and you don't even move to close the deal."

"Oh my goodness, Mother. You are unbelievable sometimes. Dar-William and I are going to let things develop naturally, okay?"

"But why would you want to do that?" Mrs. Bennet looked puzzled.

"Mom, just...just let me do this my way, okay? It's worked so far," asked Lizzie.

"Well, I suppose it has. But I still think this would be an excellent time to make a move."

"Your suggestion has been taken aboard, Mother." It will be thrown to the sharks as soon as we leave the harbor, Lizzie added silently.

Lizzie finished her breakfast.

A few minutes later, Darcy came down in fresh clothing, with his hair still curling damply. "If you don't mind, Mrs. Bennet, Lizzie and I still haven't had a first date. Once she's ready I think I'd like to take her out for a bit."

"Oh my dear, what a lovely idea! I'll pack you a lunch if you like, and you can go for a picnic - or I know! You could go for a nice long drive together! Where did I put that CD of romantic music?"

Lizzie joined Darcy in the entryway. "I'll go get dressed. Don't mind my mother."

"I won't." He smiled down at her and put his arms around her.

She leaned her head against his chest, enjoying the scent of his cologne. She tilted her head to look up at him. "So are we dating now?" she asked.

He smiled and bent down to kiss her. "We're doing anything that means I don't have to let you out of my sight, Lizzie Bennet."

She sighed happily and leaned against him.

Country music came from the kitchen:

_Well it might be me  
__But the way I see it  
__The whole wide world has gone crazy  
__So baby why don't we just dance?__  
_


End file.
